WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that $864,989 was awarded to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) to provide increased access to fresh food in Weinland Park. The Community Challenge Planning Grant funds, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will help to integrate a local food system into the community by creating new community gardens on foreclosed, vacant, and abandoned properties.

 “We’re working to make Ohio’s cities more livable in order to attract new businesses and improve the quality of life for all residents,” Brown said. “This Community Challenge and Planning grant will help to breathe new life in the Weinland Park community and ensure that Ohioans have access to fresh food needed to stay healthy.”

 “MORPC is deeply appreciative to receive this grant and excited about the innovative and meaningful work that we will accomplish with our partners in the Weinland Park neighborhood. We’re also looking forward to working closely with residents to invigorate the community with a local food system that will expand the availability of healthy, fresh food and provide new economic opportunities,” MORPC President Chester Jourdan said.

 The project will increase the availability of fresh food, expand community gardening, and help to make healthy food accessible to local residents.

 The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission includes the following core partners: Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture, Extension, and Center for Urban Environment and Economic Development, Community Entrepreneurial Growth Initiative, Local Matters, and Wagenbrenner Development.

 The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program supports regional planning efforts that integrate housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments in a community. These planning efforts are tied to long-term goals for the region, including affordable housing, transportation and water infrastructure, economic development, land use planning, environmental conservation, and other priorities for the region.

 Brown is the author of critical legislation that would improve the livability of Ohio communities and direct federal assistance to communities with a high concentration of vacant and abandoned homes due to major population and job loss. A version of Brown’s Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act, which he first introduced in 2009 with Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-17), was included as an amendment to the Livable Communities Act of 2010. This legislation would create a new, competitive  grant program within the U.S. Department of Housing and  Urban Development (HUD) targeted toward cities and metropolitan areas experiencing large-scale property vacancy and abandonment due to long-term employment and population losses.

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